Your Right to Know

Heather Bishoff will carry the torch for Democrats in November in the 20th Ohio House District,
a competitive Franklin County seat that is likely to get significant attention from both parties in
the fall.

Bishoff, a Blacklick resident who was elected in November to the Gahanna-Lincoln Board of
Education, was leading Marco Miller, a retired firefighter, by 12 percentage points, 56 percent to
44 percent, according to final, unofficial returns. She said the race was a good exercise to
prepare her for the general election.

“It took me into other communities around Gahanna and Blacklick,” she said. “Everyone has the
same concerns — jobs, education, keeping our property taxes low, and seeing a little bit of balance
at the Statehouse.”

The redrawn 20th District, which covers the southeastern corner of Franklin County, including
Pickerington, Reynoldsburg and Whitehall, is one of the most politically competitive House seats in
the state. Bishoff will now take on Republican Nathan Burd, a Reynoldsburg city councilman and
former deputy director of the county Board of Elections.

An Army veteran who runs a financial-planning business with her husband, Bishoff said she will
differentiate herself from Burd, “who has been in political circles for much of his adult career. I
have not. I think that’s what voters are looking for.”

In the 21st District, which includes Worthington and Dublin, Donna O’Connor, a veteran Dublin
special-education teacher, won a tough three-way Democratic primary.

O’Connor, vice president of the Dublin Educators’ Association for five years, won by 3
percentage points, 43 percent to 40 percent, over second-place finisher David Robinson, according
to final, unofficial returns. David T. Donofrio of Dublin finished third.

O’Connor goes on to face Rep. Mike Duffey, R-Worthington, a first-term lawmaker and former city
councilman who beat Robinson by fewer than 400 votes in 2010.

But the district Duffey struggled to win two years ago is far different from the one he will
defend this year, thanks to the new GOP-drawn map. Some of the district’s most Democratic areas,
particularly in northern Columbus, were jettisoned and replaced with Republican-friendly Dublin.
The political index now leans solidly in Duffey’s favor, but O’Connor will look for name
recognition in Dublin to help her.

In Delaware County, Rep. Andrew O. Brenner of Powell, held off a challenge from businessman
Craig Schweitzer of Powell in the 67th House District, which covers roughly the western 60 percent
of the county.

It was a much more comfortable win than when he squeaked out a victory in a six-way GOP primary
in 2010. Brenner now faces Democrat David G. Hogan in November in the heavily Republican
district.

Elsewhere in the state, 14 lawmakers faced primary-election challenges and one, Rep. Jarrod
Martin, R-Beavercreek, was defeated handily, finishing third in a three-way race. Martin was not
supported by the House GOP caucus after a few highly publicized alcohol-related incidents, and he
lost to Greene County Commissioner Rick Perales.